Releasing device for lifeboats and other similar craft



Oct. 23, 1923.

R. C. EDWARDS RELEASING DEVICE FOR LIFEBOATS AND OTHER SIMILAR CRAFT Filed May 5, 1919 INVENTOR. fi'c'imzzfiwfa/erdrs GI v I ATTORNEYL.

Patented Oct. 23, 1923.

mew star-Es,

rArENr oFFr-c Brennan COR Y EDWARDS, F OAKLAND, cALi oainA.,

EELEAsING DEvIC EoREIE BoA'rs A D OTHER srMILAEoRLE'r.

Application filed May 5,

To all 'whom it ma'yco'ncem: V Be it known that I, RICHARD" COREY ED WARDS,a 01tlZeIl of theUnited States, and a resident of the city of Oakland, in the 5 county of Alameda and State offCaliforni'a (whose. post-oiiice address is No; 1311 One hundred and seventh. Avenue),; have invented anew andiu'seful Releasing Device for'Lifeboats and Other Similar Craft, of

. which the following is a specification.

'My invention relates to a device for'the.

' easy and safe handling of life boats and other similar craft, when being-lowered and put into 'use from larger vessels, inwhich twin hooks are mounted in a framefand are which it may be rotated, and at the outer' ends of the said shaft are two cranks or eccentrics .which are rigidly attached to the said shaft. The hooks are provided with elongated shanks, and near the middle of each of the said shanks, there isa hole, by means of which the said hooks are mounted on abolt extending through the said frames.

3 The shank of each of the said hooks extends downwardly from the said bolt and forms a lever. The said bolt constitutes a fulcrum on which the said hooks are rotatedjfor open 7 ing and closing the same. Vithin the said frames, and in alignment with the lower part of each of the said levers. is'a trigger mounted on a fulcrum'within the said frame. The lower end of the said triggers extend below the bottomsof the. respective frames,

and are connected by suitable fastenings to rods bv means of which they are oper.ated.

The front endof each of the said triggers when the hooksare closed, rests against the inside face of the said levers. ,The trigger rods, to which the "triggers areattached at their lower ends, are. in two parts; the up- ;per portion being formed of iron :pipe,;flattened at the end which is attachedto the 1919. 'SeriaI No. 294,894.

t ig er as provided with a hole in which a bolt is "inserted, but havingfa channeLin spectivetrigger rods are of solid metal, and are flattened atftheir lower ends and each are'provided with a hole bymeans of which they a-re movably. attached to the crank or eccentric at each end ofthe said shaft. 1' The lower portion of thelsaid trigger. rods are 575. its'lower portion. The lower end of the resomewhat vsmaller than the 'upperportions,

andare designed topenetrate the channel in theisaid upperportionyuntil the bottom of the upper portion comes into contact with the shoulder on the lower portion; this contact is made and.the'trigger'actuated, by retating the said shaft by means of the folding handle. Thev trigger rods attached to. the

eecentricat'each end of the said shaft, raise the lower ends ofthe triggers simultaneously and the front ends ofv the said. triggers are forced downwardly below the points of the said. levers, when the-hooks are simultaneously released by the weight-of the boat on them. Thefront' ends of the said triggers are each beveledso that the pressure eX erted on them by the levers of the-respectivehooks" causes themto rise so that the lower portions of the said triggers are at all times pressed firmly against the stop pin shown in the drawing, thus making accidental release impossible.

The object of my invention is the saving of human life by providing a better and safermethodof launching life boats during storms or accident at sea.

Anotherobject of my invention is to provide a means ofreleasing; life boats and other small craftlfrom their tackle by perfectly synchronous action, thus preventing the many disastersdue to releasing one end of the boat at a time, and throwing its burden into thesea.

' A still further object. of my invention is to provide a means whereby a life boat or other small craft'may be easily and quickly releasedfrom i'ts tackle by one person.

V I attain theseobiects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which: f

Fig. 1 is a section of boat showing side elevation [of my device in place as it hangs i the l .1 i Fig. 2is a Side elevation of an enlarged showing the release trigger in two parts with the operating rod attached thereto.

Similar figures refer to similar throughout the several views.

One (1) is the keel of the boat; 2-2 are parts the ropes of thetacklesuspending theboat;

33 are the eyes in the ends of the ropes that engage with the hooks; 4 l are "the hooks prevent them from slipping out of place. I

that engage with the eyes; s e are levers, y, made integrally with the said hooks, by means of which'they are firmly locked when closed; 5-5 are the frames in which the hooks *and triggers are mounted. These frames are preferably made from one piece of iron pressed into proper form and having its edges firmly bound together by clamps 12-12 6-6 are bolts passing through the sides of the said frames and on which the said hooks are mounted; and forms the fulcrum between the hooks 4 4- and the levers 4j4i-; 10-1O are brackets, havingtwo lugs 8-8 and 9-9 formed integrally therewith, and having a suitablenumber of holes in their outer faces'by'which they are firmly attached by bolts to the framework of the boat, (see 1111) the frames 5--5 are disposed between the lugs 8-9and'are held in place by bolts 77; 1 l- 14'are triggers which are mounted on fulcrum 15-1'5 so that when the hooks are closed and the triggers are in place, the face of the'levers et 9 rest against the upper ends of the said triggers; 1616 are joints connecting the lower ends of the said triggers with operating rods 1818; '17-17 are stay pins which pass through both sides of the said frames and beneath the'said triggers'and prefer to manufacture these t'riggersin two parallel sections, as experience has shown that a double trigger will release much easier than one made of'a single piece. The trigger release rods 18-18'and 1919, are made in two sections the lower portion telescoping into the upper portion, so that either one or both may be locked or unlocked without operating the entire mechanism; 20'-20 are the flattened port-ions of the lower sections of the trigger release rods and are movably connected to I cranks 2121 by bolts in the manner shown; 23 is shaftwhich extends longitudinally with and in close proximity to the bottom of the boat from stem to stern and has a channel throughout its entire length. At each of its ends, a crank 21 is rigidly attached by means of a shank which is inserted and'iirinly riveted in the ends of the said shaft. 22-22are bearings which are suitably fastened to the bottom of the i 1 said heat, and support and hold the said shaft in place; 24 is a handle which may be made of any suitable material, preferably iron, and is attached by means of a clamp to attached to the said clamp by means of a bolt hole 25, in such way that it may be folded out of the way and is held by spring clamp 28 which is attached to said shaft. No claim is made however, for patent on the handle as hereshown.

Having now fully described my invention, that which 1 claim to be new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

. 1. A releasing device for life boats, to be used in duplicate of the kind described, comprising frames made integrally and PlV",

otally attached to the hull of the said boat, at the endsthereof, a hook mounted on a fulcrum within each of the said frames, the i said hooks each having an elongated shank and forming a lever below the said fulcrum, the faces of the said shanks being straight and mounted at right angles with respect to the triggers, when the hooks are closed; a

trigger of two parallel sections mounted on a. fulcriun within each of the said frames so that-the front ends of the'said triggersmay be brought'in contact with the .said levers when the hooks are closed, the front ends of thesaidtriggers at the pointof contact with the said levers, being beveled downwardly; a shaft rotatably disposed in the said boat and extending along the keel thereof,a

crank rigidly affixed to each end of the said shaft, an operating lever mounted on the said shaft and relatively movable telescoping releasing rods connecting the cranks and the triggers, the said cranks being so attached to the said shaft that the hooks if closed'when the operating lever is in a horizontal position, will be locked.

25in combination, a releasing device for boats and other similar craft,to be used in grally and suitably attached to the hull of the saidboat at the endsthereof, a fulcrum within each of the said frames, a hook dis posed upon each of the said fulcrums havduplicate, comprising frames made intoing an elongated shank, holes through the i said shanks near themiddle by which the said hooks are rotatably mounted on the said fulcrums within the said frames,'the lower ends of the said shanks extending below the said fulcrums so as to form levers, triggers of two parallel sections mounted on a fulcrum within each of said frames so that its front'end is in contact with the said lever when the hooks are closed; the faces of the said levers which come in contact with the front ends of the said triggers being straight, and the front ends of the said triggers being beveled so that the pressure of the said levers will cause the same to move upwards and be held firmly against the stay pins;'a stay pin within each of the said frames to engage with the lower portion of the said trigger; a :hollow shaft, rotatably disposed longitudinally along the keel of the said boat between the said devices, an eccentric rigidly affixed to each end of the said shaft with its upper portions movably at- 5 tached to the lower end of the respective trigger, and the lower end of the same move ably attached to the said eccentric, and an operating handle suitably afiixed to the said shaft;'the said eccentrics being so attached to the said shaft that when the operating 10 handle is in a horizontal position the hooks if closed are looked; all substantially as de-' scribed and set forth.

RICHARD COREY EDWARDS. v 

